Hello one and all. Yes, I’m keeping the draft strategies rolling out. No, this is not by popular demand. Yes, it’s useful information. No, it’s not just filler. Yes, the first few sentences of this paragraph ARE filler. No, it won’t continue much longer. Yes, I promise. See? We’re done now. I know a lot of people have put out general draft strategies and have done so much earlier. I get that. But I also realize for all intents and purposes, the draft season is really starting right about now as most people wait until this week or early next to get their draft on. If you’re already done and you did some of the don’ts, well apply some of these don’ts to your next draft. I assume you’re in more than one Fantasy Football league for 2013. To not be would be very un-American in my book. Oh and BTW, some of this may seem self-explanatory to y’all and some of it may not. Realize we may have some new blood/brethren from the Fantasy Baseball side who don’t understand this little game we play. They get me when I say ‘positional scarcity’ but not so much when I talk about how to fill a roster, ya dig? But enough with that, I have a long list to go over here so I can’t dawdle too long. So lets cover some do’s and don’ts draft strategy for 2013 Fantasy Football…but of course I have to remind you of the Razzball Commenter Leagues before I do so. To not do so would also be un-American. And now moving on…

Roster Depth

DO load up on WR and RB in a standard league on your bench. This is where some of the most crucial picks can make or break a season and for that reason, DON’T draft for TE or QB depth. You’re not sure if Jermichael Finley’s going to be a beast so you just have to draft Rob Housler, right? Wrong. In a 12 team, that’s 12 starting TEs typically. Unless you drafted Gronk, you have no reason to start your year off drafting two TEs. Just keep your eye on waivers for upside and ride with what you drafted. TE is going to be the lowest scoring skill position you’ll have out there in most leagues unless you have Graham/Gronk. Don’t fight that, just go with the flow. At worst, you end up streaming at that position all year. I promise you’ll survive. If you drafted a top 12 QB this year, you have little reason to draft another QB. You’re worried about bye weeks? When is your bye week? Week 11? You don’t think you can find someone off waivers to fill that week for the time being? Exactly. It’s not a need for a standard 1QB league setup. While you’re drafting Jay Cutler and Ed Dickson, I’ll be drafting Roy Helu and Markus Wheaton. I like my chances at upside and usefulness for my roster moreso then yours.

Defense & Kickers

DO stream them most of the year unless you find a diamond in the rough to start the year like many did in Blair Walsh and the Denver Broncos defense. It’s a roster position that doesn’t warrant your attention until the last two rounds of the draft, how vital could it be? DON’T draft a DEF/K. Do what I suggest above and develop RB/WR depth. That’s two extra lottery picks you can wait on before the season starts and see what comes of them. Since you can stream these two spots, there’s no reason they should take up a roster spot for you until they absolutely have to.

Rankings

DO follow mine…I keed. No, the real do here is DO pool resources and develop your own ideals. Personal rankings – when not influenced by herd mentality, of course – are a reflection of a Fantasy Writer’s perspective on how to build a good team and a reflection of likes/dislikes. It’s not a trump card for how you should draft so DON’T be a slave to the rankings and by that I mean not only your favorite writer’s rankings but to your own. You’re building a team that needs to be competitive. If I need Frank Gore but I have Andre Johnson ranked ahead of him and they’re both still out there, I’m going to take Gore. Of course, I don’t like AJ but that’s besides the point. It’s your team, you need to build it like it’s your team and not some formulaic equation of how someone else would draft.

Your League Setup

DO draft according to how your league is setup. I know, I know, common sense. But it’s amazing how messy a draft can get when you don’t know your league’s scoring and roster setup. You drafted 4 Running Backs…congrats! Too bad your league starts 4 WR and only 1 RB…oops. Yeah, extreme analogy but it’s just a simple fact. If you don’t know the rules of your league, it doesn’t matter how well you draft because you drafted on assumptions and not on what team you really needed to build. I guess I need a don’t in here. Hrm…DON’T not pay attention to your league setup. Yeah, that’s it…

Value

DO realize value when you see it. You just drafted Calvin Johnson and backed it up with Matt Forte in the 2nd. Well done! Now the third round comes to you and for some ridiculous reason, Dez Bryant’s still out there. But you need to draft David Wilson now, right? RIGHT?!? Eh, I wouldn’t hate you for it but it’s hard to pass on Dez at that point. In a nutshell with this ‘it should never happen’ analogy, what I’m trying to say is this. DON’T become a slave to a dogma, whether it’s yours or someone else’s. Be able to recognize the value of the guys you’re picking. It’s ok to be contrarian if what’s presented makes sense.

Late QB Drafting

DO take a QB as late as you possibly can this year. There’s too much depth at the position for you to draft on in the first 4 rounds. I know it feels sacrilegious to pass on Drew Brees in the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th. But do it. The fate of your team depends on it! DON’T think you need a top end QB to be competitive this year. Romo goes pretty late and if you get in a room of guys who understand that, the value at QB will fall back to you pretty far. Take advantage of this trend, don’t fight it.

Strength Of Schedule

DON’T buy into it, not one bit. It’s too often we base how we think a player will do based on a previous year’s body of work. Both their own and their opponents. But these numbers are a fallacy. In a discussion earlier this summer with a DMC supporter, he mentioned that at least 8 teams DMC would face this year were at the bottom of the league in terms of rushing yards against. However, of those teams, only one made the playoffs and the rest were borderline cellar dwellers in their division. That meant the 4th quarter was for the opposing RB to run free and clear most games. Assuming these types of stats will stay static enough to draft off of are crutches we need to throw away. DO draft based on the talent/merit of the players involved. You think DMC is gonna have a banner year this year based on his skillset? More power to you (I don’t!). But don’t let numbers from the past affect how you’ll draft/view a player in the future.

Bye Weeks

DO pay attention but DON’T pay that much attention. Yes, I did this one in a nice, neat, contradictory little bow for you. The reality is, you don’t know what your team is going to look like come week 5 or 6 or 11. So stop worrying that you have 3 NOLA players and what are you gonna do that week. Maybe you’ll be leading your league and can afford to not worry about it. Maybe you’ll have made a beneficial trade that makes up for it. Maybe the players you drafted are injured and aren’t even on your team any more. You just don’t know. Don’t plan for the unknown, just draft good players and let the Fantasy Football Gods do their best/worst.

Don’t Drink The Kool-Aid

This will be my final note and it comes at the detriment of you ever believing in me again, perhaps. But we all play this game. We all have our beliefs/stances. I DON’T want you to follow my rankings because I say so or my sleepers/overrated guys because it’s the word of Sky. I DO want you to formulate your own opinions and be ready to draft by them. Yes, this is somewhat similar to a few things above but whoever you follow for your advice, don’t follow blindly. We all have our reasons and I do my best to give you them in my rankings but if you don’t agree, we’re cool. I can dig it. Heck, even JB and Jaywrong rip apart my rankings in one of the more recent Razzball Podcasts. I don’t hate them (any more then I did before that). In the end, you’re drafting your team, not my team or Matthew Berry’s team or whomever you wanna throw into this primordial Fantasy Football soup. So go draft your team, have fun and listen to everything I say…in this post where I tell you not to listen to everything I say. OK? Ok.

I drafted Gronk, on the bench I have Zudfeld and Cameron. I know you said don’t stock up on TE, but somehow I managed this team in my draft, obviously in this 10 Team H2H league, this people are complete dopes.

working on moving Jordy Nelson for a RB2, do you suggest this, or move someone else?

I’ve already showed you my team, anyhow, I figure I can, when Gronk comes back, move a Zudfeld or Cameron for aWR2/3ish or RB 2/3ish seeing as the people in this particular league don’t seem too bright.

1. I partially agree with them, ala Ranking like Rotoworld as so frigging bias and make no sense. Who would you rather have? A proven Colston who you pretty much know what you’re gonna get or a Bowe who is supposed to have a breakout campaign.

2. I have your updated rankings open for help, but personally go with my best instincts, such as looking at weekly point totals from all positions, WR who rack up yards, WR who rack up TD’S, QB’s who Rush and Pass for TD’s, etc.

@TarmanGotHim: Colston, not even close in my book. I watched a bit of the KC preseason game this week. Alex Smith and Bowe seem to have a pretty good connection. But I like the solid floor in the first few rounds. Maybe the next round, look to Bowe if he’s still there.

Andre Johnson you mean? Just making sure you’re not meaning Green. Don’t think you are. Just think last year proved why it’s hard to get behind him as a WR1. The end numbers were great but the first 6-7 weeks were brutal. I don’t trust the Texans passing offense with Kubiak at the helm to support him being as reliable as others claim him to be. And of course, it’s obligatory to mention there seems to be zero chance he can even clear 8 touchdowns any given year.

@Sky: gotcha Houston benefited from cupcakes early last year but I wouldn’t sleep on AJ he still a beast just look at what he did Sunday (yes it preseason) in first half plus Hopkins presence “should” be help.

I hear ya. I did rank him as a WR1, just one I can’t get excited about. Just really depends on what Schaub and that O-Co bring to the table. I drafted Hopkins hoping for the alternate effect that AJ helps him…ha!

Great stuff as usual – thanks. Saw that you critiqued Yahoo’s rankings a few weeks back – will you do the same for ESPN’s (or did you already and I missed it)? I find those articles very helpful. Thanks and good luck.

Had my first draft Sunday… 10 team PPR. I drafted Cam at #24 and then couldn’t resist taking RG3 at #64. I’m not saying I was thinking trade bait when I did it, but I knew it was wrong and I did it anyway.

I also took Gronk at #44 and Cook at #124. Gronk looks to be fine.

I feel OK about this team, but hope to mix it up at tomorrow’s draft for League #2.

What’s the Cowboy RB depth chart after Murray? I want to handcuff him but not sure who to grab. I hear Tanner is the backup at the moment until Dunbar is healthy. But Dunbar doesn’t seem like a big workload guy. Any insight into this? Thanks man.

@CramYourCatcherQuestionUpYourCramhole: have you drafted already. I get the handcuff thing but I’d rather grab an upside back than a handcuff anyday for my bench players. It sticks with smart strategy stacking your bench with upside players at RB early. Would you rather have Dunbar/randle on your bench or Bernard/Lacy?

Love the sentiments here. Got to know your league. Got to go with your own rankings based on said league. Got to go with the flow of the draft and league tendencies. Doing my best not to ask anymore questions to screw that preparation.

@Sky: All right didn’t last an hour, but I think it is a good question. It is a scenario that pushes the wait for QB strategy.

Here is the scenario. 12 team 3WR/2RB/no flex PPR league with some keepers taking 1st and 2nd round drafts slots. I kept Foster at #11 overall, for #14 I’m in line to get the fourth pick of the unkept players.
Here are the best available players in two value-based tiers

McCoy/Green/Marshall/Brees
Forte/Graham/Rodgers

The QBs get a bump as pts per yard double at 300+ yards for QBs. Last year Brees was the 10th most valuable player, in 2012 he was the most valuable player in our league. His floor is roughly at Forte and Grahams ceiling. So taking Brees is a good value pick if the other tiermates are gone.

If I pass on QB, there will likely be a run on QBs such that I would plan on picking the last starter in R7/8 turn. I won’t be able to wait for the R9/10 turn as a QB2 run usually starts in R9, so there won’t be a ton of value for waiting except that I get to work on positions with more scarcity earlier.

Given all this:
Where would you rank Brees in the group of McCoy/Green/Marshall/Brees/Forte/Graham?

@Sky: The QB2 part is not for a starter spot, but for the bench. For no good reason, bench QBs are coveted more than skill players.

It is only relevant because it means that you can’t really wait forever for QB and get value at the position while having the benefit of working on scarce positions early. The real beauty of a late QB is when you get a reliable starter late (R9/10) and the chance to cash in on some value at the same time.

The only “value” pick for QB in the whole draft will be when and if Brees drops to round 2. By picking Forte or Graham I get the benefit of filling a scarcer position, but at the price of 3 or 4 pts per week in pure value (most likely). That is why I think it is an interesting scenario (to me).

You got a weird league my man. You could always take the upside QBs late. Go after, say, Vick and maybe a Tannehill to back him up and play matchups. I still can’t get behind drafting a high end QB in this scenario, the talent is still out there; just not the ones you feel like you can trust.

On the surface, your ‘Draft QBs late’ advice completely contradicts your ‘Value’ advice. Brees in round 4 has to be a value right? Well, not exactly. It’s all about the opportunity lost when drafting X position compared to the drafting Y regarding the point differential between tiers.

Speaking of which, what are your thoughts on drafting from tiers (similar to how you did in your rankings write-ups)? Any Do’s and Don’ts that you’d add for using tiers?

That’s something I always do. I typically take a ranking from somewhere. In the past, it had been ripped from Yahoo (the server we use). This year, I used your rankings as my base (mostly based on how we agree on Lynch and T-Rich and liked some of your thoughts on sleeper WRs – plus Razzball has done me well in baseball). Made my adjustments (like Ivory – bold on your part or Ingram – maybe bold/blind on my part), then split the rankings into tiers. The tiers help me to avoid runs and helps me game plan who to target and how many of each position I want to target. And helps me identify value when I see it.

‘Byes': I use byes as a tie breaker in each tier (DMC or Miller? Who cares! Take a look at my teams byes and take the one that doesn’t match.)

Post draft addendum to ‘Kickers & Defense': If you did happen to draft a K and D, now is not the time to drop them to follow Sky’s DO. You have Seattle or San Fran. That’s a plus in it’s own way. You have ___ kicker, he’s probably a pretty decent kicker. Ride it out until proven otherwise.

Post draft for ‘Roster depth': So you drafted Graham and Jared Cook (or fill in the blank of a TE with high expectations drafted really late). Don’t just drop him. Go shopping. Float Graham on the trading block and see what offers are proposed. Throw some proposals to upgrade a position. Do a chump dump (Graham and your RB3 for an RB1 and a WR4).

@btd: The value on waiting on QB stems from in a normal 1QB 12 team league there is 11 every week go to starters this year. So passing on Brees in the fourth a still makes sense if your buying into it. There’s a lot of info last few seasons about how QBs do not matter as much as the everyday fantasy player thinks.

Negative points for sacks? That’s silly. Doesn’t really change anything much. Does make pocket passers a bit more valuable then I have them in my rankings but they’re already valued differently then me on other sites. Think it’s still a little moot.

Sky, what do you think of the idea of “throwing” bye weeks? By that, I mean, if you are really enamored with a team like the Saints, for example, and by some fluke you wind up with 2/3 of their offense starting for you midway through the draft, would you advocate drafting for value from there on as opposed to guys that could fill that week best and, basically, take it on the head that week especially if you draft others on that same bye week? I only ask because several years back, I somehow wound up coming out of the draft and first week of free agency with nearly my whole team comprised of the Seahawks the year they went to the Super Bowl vs Pitt (Hass, Alexander, Darrell Jackson, their TE, and kicker) and ran smack into that scenario. I wound up losing the week but their powerful offense carried me to a near-championship win for the season. I’m sure there’s a lot of owners that get enamored with certain offenses like that too like maybe the Broncos this year and could theoretically wind up with Peyton, one or 2 of the RB’s, Tamme, and one or 2 of the WR’s to go with Prater.

@Clint (aka Pablo Death): also known as “bye stacking”. some experts really adhere to this, problem is you are intentionally throwing 1 week; and assuming you’ll have these same players for that week, you may not.

Sup Sky… I was looking at a top 200 list and trying to see my availability for my 5th pick in my 12 team ppr league. So say at first a grab someone like spiller, foster, Charles or whoever and I was looking at my second pick. In that area say there was a Demarious T, fitzgerald , andre Johnson, Ridley and Alfred Morris.. Do I grab another Rb or grab a good WR and next round will be quicker and I can grab Sprolles, Lamar Miller, Wilson or if I already picked an Rb in the 2nd there would be a cruz, Vincent Jackson?? Also on the 4th round it looks like Garcon, Bowe and Welker would be there

Don’t mind DT there but would take Morris if he weren’t, which is according to my rankings.

There’s a lot of rambling here and it’s hard to discern what your question is. I like RB/RB, depends on the value of the players involved. Could go RB/WR/RB if the value of the WR is right. Don’t mind Cruz in the 3rd but again, that’s according to my rankings and what I’ve said on some of these guys. I’ve made a lot of my likes/dislikes in my rankings pretty clear at this point.

Basically should I grab 3 starting RB’s within 5 rounds, grab 2 WR then keep going cause they’re great receivers n back up Rb’s way down the line and I can always wait till way later to grab a Russel Wilson right??? Or grab a better QB earlier if I can? I always thought you said that was a waste right?

Also, I think for some reason too many don’t pay attention to settings. One guy spent a ton on Welker…his reason was the ppr. In that leage it’s only 0.25…plus DT and Decker gotta get fed.
Congrats on ridiculously overpaying for who is essentially going to be Antonio Brown. Maybe he knew the settings and is just an idiot…knowing this guy the later is prob correct.

I drafted Denarious Moore and Malcolm Floyd close to the end of my draft, just to add WR depth. Do you think I would be in better shape to replace those 2 with Kenbrell Thompkins and Justin Blackmon? The league is 10 teams, 1 point/10 yards, 6 point TD

Hey Sky. Im in a 12 team 0.5 PPR league. I was offered cam Newton, Ivory, Dwyer for Russell Wilson and Reggie Bush. I’m worried about Wilson this year. I dont trust him. Do I make this trade? I have Rice and Ridley as my other backs. Bush is a flex to go along with Marshall, Amendola and Colston at receiver. Thanks

12 team 2 WR 2 RB and a flex, I’m picking 2nd. Thinking about starting off with Martin and grabbing gore and mjd with my next 2 picks. If Demaryious is there would you grab him instead of one of those guys?

At 23 I’m hoping DT is there so I don’t have to take MJD. Then at pick 26 I’m assuming I’ll be choosing Gore over Andre Johnson.

I expect picks 47 and 50 to make or break me. Looking for these guys there in this order: Bush, Sproles, Gronk, Wilson, Amendola, Bradshaw, Lacy, Miller, Ivory.

For whatever reason I just don’t expect Bradshaw, Lacy, or Ivory to fall to 71 in spite of their yahoo ADP being lower than that.

The Episode of Growing Pains Where Mike Thought Boner Did Cocaine in the Bathroomsays:
August 27, 2013 at 8:30 am (link)

I have the second pick in a 10 team ppr, 1qb, 2rb, 3wr, 1te, 1k, 1d
What do you think about punting rb the first three rounds and grabbing Calvin in the first, Fitz in the second, and a Thomas, Roddy, Andre Johnson, or Julio in the third. Everybody is going running back crazy. Is this doable?

I’ve been living by your do’s and dont’s for the past few years and have been very successful because of them. Want to get your thoughts about a very obscure scenario that has little chance of realization, but it’s not quite the “if I get AP #1, will Calvin Johnson be there at #24 type question.”

So I’m in a 12 team, 0.5 PPR league, where the flex position is WR/RB/TE. I agree with your comment about drafting backup TE’s, but many people do in my league because of the FLEX. The only combination of two TE’s that I would consider drafting is Graham & Gronk. Now in many years, that is near impossible to do, but do to Gronk’s injury this year this might come to fruition. So here’s my crazy scenario:

You’re drafting late (10, 11, 12 spot), would it be downright outrageous to grab the best available RB in rounds 1 and 3 with Graham and Gronk in rounds 2 and 4? That will leave you scrambling for WR (probably Mike Wallace and below in your rankings). But you can use those 5th – 9th round picks on Wallace, TY Hilton, Givens, Thompkins types and then grab your QB late.

It’s a decent team. Probably would’ve taken one more RB but from the looks of it, you took Cam and it left you out of the running for a guy like Lamar where you could take Bradshaw as your 4th. Main reason why I haven’t drafted Cam this year. Also wouldn’t have drafted a backup QB in your situation given that you have Cam; could’ve been one more upside flier for your bench. That said, like Thompkins/Jeffrey for your bench. Not sure about the Lewis pickup. Again, like your backup QB, you didn’t need to do that. You just need some bench WRs to pan out so you can trade from strength and up your RB core.

Be careful about waiting too long for a QB. I got stuck with Cutler, Dalton, and Palmer in one league. But I was able to assemble a roster of AP, MJD, Lamar Miller, Bradshaw, and Vereen at RB and Bryant, Amendola, Nelson, and Gordon at WR.

Draft value and don’t reach just because others are. Good advice, Sky. Almost as good as Berry’s draft manifesto (I keed – don’t follow that, anybody).

I think it depends on how bad you think that setup is. It’ll lack the consistency you’d want but eventually, you should be able to trade from strength if you need it. That roster of yours I like a lot.

@Sky: It’s a 1 QB league with standard scoring (4pts per passing TD, etc.). At the 6-7 swing (I had the #1 slot), I grabbed Bradshaw and Nelson, thinking that one of Wilson, Romo, or Luck would fall to my next pick. None did. People started grabbing backup QBs in the 7th and 8th rounds. Crazy. So I grabbed three #2 QB types and plan to play matchups, barring a trade. I’d be ok with doing that in this setup if forced to.

Yep, definitely. And let’s not forget guys like Freeman and Dalton were top 12 QBs to start the year. It’s just so much easier in 1QB leagues to find a good QB from the ‘dregs’ then it is to do so from the RB/WR sets. Good luck!

@Big Magoo: I just saw my future and it gave me anxiety. All my RB depth will be going about the time that the schmucks in my league start grabbing back-up QB’s. I’ve decided that most scenarios will end up with Jay smoking Cutler as my friggin QB1 this season. Yuck but bring it.

Not that hip on Olsen, personally, but outside of that there’s a lot I like about your team. Like Richardson on the bench to go with Woodhead, especially in a PPR. Solid looking team, should be competitive.

Sky I am looking at making a couple tweaks to my bench. I have olsen and daniels at TE, not sure why I did that but it happened. Would u drop daniels for a guy like wheaton? Also I want to pickup joique bell to handcuff reggie, would u drop moreno or bryce brown for him? Also is bilal powell more valuable then moreno or bryce brown? Bilal is sitting on waiver.

Thanks Sky.

Ps…I hope your wrong about antonio brown and. James jones this year!! I get ur hesitation as far as upside but well see!

Hey Sky, my draft was a while ago and there are some intriguing players available as FAs. I’m thinking of dropping Jon Stewart and LeGarrette Blount for some of that upside action. Can you give my your top 2 or 3 of these guys that you think might actually provide some fantasy relevance:
RBs: Joique Bell, Knile Davis, Christine Michael
WRs: Alshon Jeffery, Kenny Stills, Cordarrelle Patterson, Markus Wheaton
Thanks a lot!

I’d have to assume this is a mock like your other two. Pretty hard to get T-Rich and McCoy on the same team. Looks decent overall, WRs need Randle to pan out due to Gordon/Blackmon suspensions. Overall not bad but as per usual, don’t understand why you draft 2 defenses.

Sky – I started with razzball baseball, but am coming to the dark side. Keep the good columns and rankings coming. My draft was this past Sunday. 12-team PPR auction draft. Drafted with a bunch of dummies. Managed this:

OK… I committed to one of your “Donts” in that I drafted both Olsen and Finley. Being that I have a traditional (RB/WR/TE) flex spot, I could plug in either TE. At least that was my thinking. How’d I do, overall?

BTW – The guy I am playing in week 1 auto-drafted the auction. Ended up with CJ Spiller, Arian Foster, AND Ray Rice! (and then had to fill the rest of his team for like 25 bucks.. His QB is Ben Roethlisberger and he is starting Malcolm Floyd.. Serves him right)

Nice looking team overall but two TEs could’ve just as easily been one more RB and a few more WRs later in the draft. That’s why is say you don’t need more then one. Not many weeks you’re gonna start two TEs even with a flex.

i have the 7th pick in a 16 team league that starts qb 2rb 2wr te. would you take gronk if he fell to the 5th round? thinking about starting the draft off rb/rb/wr/wr then taking gronk if he’s there then grabbing a qb like roethlisberger late. Also wondering where would Cam have to fall to for you to take him? thanks

Cam’s probably not gonna fall to me, I’ve accepted that. I’d take him in the 5th but I haven’t seen him fall that far and it would depend on what I have on my team at that point in terms of RB whether I’d even do it there.

I have no problem taking a chance on Gronk there. Think his discount will leave people kicking themselves come December.

Not really big on BJGE but you have D-Rich on your bench. He’s more likely your weekly flex. Franklin might’ve been a wasted pick, I don’t see GB utilizing him without a Lacy injury. You’ll need to drop someone so you can stream a TE for the time Gronk isn’t available. That said, it doesn’t look like a bad team but given the layout, I’m a little surprised you couldn’t get at least Romo or Vick at QB. Not a deal breaker, just need Big Ben to really pan out. Again, not a bad team but has a few question marks for me.

Someone in my league needs an rb and wondering if I should trade him Daryl Richardson for TY Hilton to upgrade my WR’s or don’t do it to keep the RB depth? This could be a steal if TY becomes elite as some people predict but there’s also the downside of him not even starting.

As much as I like Hilton, I think he actually went cheaper in drafts then D-Rich. You’re kinda trading down. I think you need to see what you have before you make any major moves, especially with your young WRs. Hold for now.

Not a big James Jones guy but you have good depth at WR, so it’s hard to be against it. Probably didn’t need to draft a backup QB unless you have roster limits at other positions. Overall, team looks solid and should be competitive this year.

Surprised you got RG3/RW3 and AP. That’s a nice haul. SJax I like a lot as well. You’ll really need some of your WRs to hit big. Garcon has WR1 upside but there are some question marks there. Hopefully it pans out for you. Gronk/Cook coupling will be nice for you. Might be able to trade from strength from there soon. Solid 2QB team there!

Reasonable depth at RB; probably would’ve liked another starter over a handcuff but that’s personal preference. Not a huge Hakeem fan nor a fan of drafting a backup QB in a league your size but it didn’t seem to hurt your draft overall. All and all, not a bad draft, should be competitive.

Hey Sky,
I have my big draft tomorrow with a weird scoring system basically it’s pts for the distance of a TD and nothing for overall yards. For a RB, a one yard TD is 5 while a 30+ TD is worth 15. Similar for QBS and WRS. Kicker scoring is standard which is way more valuable in this league when teams only avg. 50 pts/week.
Do u have any tips and if u could who would be your top 12?
THANKS
100 yds and 0 TD=0!

Uhhh, my suggestion is to play in a better league. That scoring system makes a fantasy sport that’s already heavily luck driven even moreso. There’s really nothing I can tell you other then go after guys who project for 10+ TDs or have high RZ stats.

One other question. And it may be a stupid one. Do you play recommended matchups week in and week out? For instance, would I sit Martin vs. Seattle for a more favorable matchup? Like Bernard or Tate if either is a starter at that point?

In general, I don’t; you draft those guys for a reason and that’s because they play above that enough that they retain value. The matchup would have to be a no-brainer AND they couldn’t be a weekly flex option play like I consider Tate/Bernard to be.

I caught the veiled reference to me in the Strength of Schedule section, though I would hardly characterize myself as a DMC supporter. Just offering the contrarian position on DMC as I have yet to find a fantasy “expert” who expresses anything less than pure hatred for the man. Perhaps because I have never been a DMC owner, I haven’t been jaded yet. Kind of like thinking chlamydia isn’t that bad until you’ve had it (or so I’ve heard)…

Was simply using the scenario. Wasn’t aiming to call you out. And it’s easier to say ‘supporter’ then ‘guy who had a curious scenario in which he brought up DMC and his schedule’. Flowed better. I do think the experience sours you. I’ve owned him once before and hated the experience but like I said, I stay agnostic. He just has to go at the right price to make me interested; he just never does.

@Bonghuetz: new offensive scheme could be good for him and Pryor starting helps him too. obviously talent is there but staying healthy and that Oline are the issues. I don’t think it’s the hard to let him be someone else’s problem. There are other risk/reward players I’d rather pick.

For a 14 man standard league, with the 13th pick my plan was to take two rb’s. However, when it’s time for me to select a WR, there are always questionable ones like Nicks, Garcon, Brown available but no real WR1’s I can rely on. I am tempted to take a RB with Dez, and wait on guys like Wilson, L. Miller, Bernard, Lacy, Matthews, Murray so at least I can come away with 2 decent rb options with a solid WR1. You think it’s too risky?

Ive read the rankings and adps and such…If AP goes 1 and martin is another teams keeper….what have you seen/heard out of Spiller/ Trich/ McCoy to take at #2…..I know u like Charles but not a ppr so not sure if the tds will be there….great read as usual

@frankgrimes: let me elaborate since I’m bored
Richardson younger
one of the best O~lines
Had 11 TDs last year should have more this year (I predict 17)
Norv Turner
Plays hurt
I like Charles too but
hate Reid play calling especially near goal line
call me crazy but I believe t rich should be the number two ranked RB in fantasy this year

Just wondering the Sky/Razzball grade of this draft. Yahoo gave me a B. We keep two and I kept Dez and Graham. It’s a SHALLOW 8 team league, and it’s just a local friends and family, but money is on the line so it’s competitive. I was picking from the 6th slot. It’s a 0.5 PPR and there are some random bonuses at yards reached per game, but I’m just wondering the overall thought.

@Sky: you think I should burn my #3 waiver on Thompkins? And thanks for the input. I was relatively happy with this squad on paper, but who knows with it being foosball and the shallow league is volatile as all get out, there are so many backup RBs that I could weasel my way into a starter with one injury.

@Sky: and I took Wilson as my starter and took Romo late when most teams had 2 QBs already. For example, one team has Cam and Kaep, another has Rodgers and Stafford, anther Manning and Vick, Ryan and RG3, so I just kind of went with the flow. I really like Wilson this year. I could be WAY off, but I think he ends up where Cam was last year.

@Sky: and yeah, I typically wouldn’t have a backup QB, but everyone in this league has one, so I joined in the fun as there isn’t a TON on the WW (Bradford, Dalton, Flacco, Freeman, Rivers, Sqwab). Plus, as much as I love Wilson, he is still young and it makes me feel a little better having a relatively proven backup just in case shizz goes south. Which is why I didn’t want RG3 or Kaep as my backup, they’re kind of the same boat as Wilson.

@frankgrimes: GRIMEY! I do play in three leagues, two are 12ers and this one is the 8. This is the one for money, though, as it’s a bunch of high school buddies and my Pops. I think it’s more difficult than some of the 12 teamers because you get so reliant on beating everyone else to the punch on the waiver wire. There are a lot of backup RBs on the wire that could jump into the starting spot with one injury, so you gotta be quick on the draw.

@Jason: Team looks decent. Would’ve liked one more starter at RB for your bench and I don’t know if I’m that high on Vereen in a standard vs a PPR setting. Your starting lineup looks good, just worried about your bench at this stage.

Well enjoyed my draft until somebody improbably took Tate one pick before I was going to take him.
Here is the team (PPR)
Foster, Forte, Vareen, Bradshaw
Griffin, Vick
Cobb, Amendola, Nicks, Gordon
Olsen
Falcons
fricking kicker

Would you make a trade offer to the Tate owner or truly role the dice?

@Sky: LOL on not picking your guys.
I got at least 2 of your flatliners (Foster, #11 overall) and Nicks (6th round). I had Nicks graded as an early 4th rounder, so I couldn’t resist when my top 5 TEs were gone and the RBs sucked at that pick.
Olsen just fell to me in rnd 11, but I regret not picking Cook or Cameron who were also available by then. I wanted a top 5 TE, but they were gone by my 5th round pick.
I took Vick in case RG3 wasn’t cleared to start week 1 (which his is as of this morning).

I think Vick has major potential in the new offense, but would you rather have Broyles as a WR5 for this team?
He is the only player I really like at WR left on the wire and I can’t carry a 5th RB by league rules.

@the imp: Nah, you can hold onto him; I get your reasoning I’m just assuming Vick went higher then a week 1 filler is all. I’m a huge Vick/Eagle supporter for that offense and have been all off-season.

For me, I don’t mind taking a TE after the 10th round this year but some feel just safe without upside and Olsen is one of those guys. In the end, it’s TE; you’ll be able to make some moves if he doesn’t perform.

I wasn’t against where you got Foster, actually, I just don’t like his pricetag in most drafts. Don’t think he lives up to being a top 3 back is all and has risk associated. Nicks just needs to stay healthy. I’m just not a major supporter of WRs who have constant, nagging injuries. They’re just frustrating to own.

@Sky: Yeah, Vick was rated #20 by CBS, so I could get him as the 18th QB off the board.
I got RG3 as the 14th QB off the board…though it was in Rnd 8 and almost didn’t happen since 2 teams went with an early QB2 in round 7 !?!?!?! (one was a new player roughly autodrafting, but the other was the league champion Luck owner who wanted to get Romo too.)
With 22 QBs owned for now, holding to see what Vick has got makes sense.

@Sky: Meh points, bottom half for sure.
That drafted team got injured (Murray, Jennings, Nicks, Bowe) and did not play at a high level / cut by his team (Bowe, VDavis, Titus Young (anyone still remember him!)) as I had hoped. I traded for DMC using material I scrounged from the waiver wire (FJax and LMoore) and that didn’t work either.
Snakebitten to make up for the lucky year I had the year before as a new player who had no clue.

12-team .5PPR league. I accidentally got caught with an autopick in round 5 and missed out on Cam, Ryan, Stafford and Romo because of it. Needledd to say, I was PISSED! With that aside, how does my team stackup?

@Ron: Your team doesn’t look bad despite that. Probably would’ve gone with more upside at QB rather than Eli, though. Crazy you got Dez and AJ on the same team. Team looks very solid and good RB depth on the bench. Should be able to trade from strength for a QB or play matchups. Well done!

@Ron: Eli’s track record is inconsistent. He had good wide outs last year too. And if we need to rely on the health of Nicks for Eli to produce at a QB1 level, I’d rather not count on it. Kaep’s legs create passing lanes. He doesn’t need Hakeem Nicks to perform, he can make due with ok WRs. I wouldn’t call Crabtree elite but he was looking to be moreso because of Kaep then because of himself. There’s a big line between the two in terms of fantasy production in my book.

For not drafting Defense (team not a player) strategy, I found the first couple of years I did fantasy football I tried this thinking I could max out points that way. What I found was that I was blowing my waivers every week to make sure I got the team I needed, and possibly was passing over decent player pick-ups. Last year I took Seattle in a round where I didn’t see much and held onto them throughout which worked pretty well. Some weeks they gave more points than my RBs.

@Fungazi: The one time you get a top DEF is not the best way to judge the strategy. What if you drafted Baltimore last year? You’re in the same situation only you probably hang onto them for longer then you should due to name recognition. Or worse, you drafted the Texans defense and they start the year great and then taper off about half way through. Plus, I never said you should use your weekly waiver on defense. I’ve never used my waiver on a defense once. It’s still a rotatable position unless you find yourself landing on a Broncos-type situation this year. Every week there’s usually a few good matchups. Rather play those then pick and hold and hope they pan out for 16 weeks.

I just read your whole strategy and I thought it was great!!! Good job I learned a lot! Anyway, A couple questions.. When you say keep your bench filled with WR’s n RB’s and you can always grab a kicker and D off the wire, I agree but when your filling your roster during draft, Don’t you have to fill those spots or did you say wait till last 2 picks?? Also the rookie chart is old and I didn’t see Daryl Richardson. Do you like him and if so then do you like me picking him up in my top 5, 3rd RB, ??

From this article: ‘DON’T draft a DEF/K. Do what I suggest above and develop RB/WR depth. That’s two extra lottery picks you can wait on before the season starts and see what comes of them.’

The rookie chart? Daryl Richardson isn’t a rookie. He’s the starter, it’s his second year and I have him as a top 30 back next to Giovani Bernard. I like him at the right price. He should be drafted like a flex play. By top 5, I assume you mean within the first 5 rounds. He’ll probably go no later then the 5th in most drafts at this point for RB scarcity purposes so I don’t have a problem with it.

As a TY Hilton owner…reading this Heyward Bay nonsense in unnerving. Should DHB be pushed above Hilton at this point? Should DHB be owned above Hopkins or Thompkins? Also with the QB situation in Buffalo…what happens to Stevie Johnson? Does his value fall below any of the receivers listed?

@Sniff Test: I think the truth will come out in the end. DHB should be the third option in Indy before long. I’d maybe draft him over Thompkins – I don’t trust him having a large role this year in NE – but he’s still a low upside play in my mind.

I’m not too worried about Johnson. Still will get the slot role there with plenty of targets, I think. Keep in mind Fitz was throwing to him and he was still a reliable WR2 even then. I’m not that worried.

Also have an offer on the table trading Malcolm Floyd for Bilal Powell. What you think?

Finally, as much of I know currently on Harvin’s status. I understand he’s on PUP and cannot return until week 6. I tried to draft him with my last pick and forego the kicker, but I was forced to draft a kicker to fill the roster need (a stupid req’t if you ask me). Want to make my first waiver claim on him. I think its definitely worth the roster spot if he will return this year. Whats your thoughts? Should you agree, who would you drop for him?\

@David: He’ll return, I just don’t know at what capacity. It’s a long hold but could work out for you. Not like you’re losing much throwing a kicker back to find out.

Roster-wise, your RBs worry me a bit. I like Wilson as an RB2 but he’s your lead back; DMC is always concerninig. Hopefully Ivory performs up to my expectations, gives you a good feeling of depth there. Of course, that leaves you solid at WR and QB since you most likely spent 3 of your first 4 rounds on those positions.

Bilal for Floyd is fine if there are no other viable RBs on waivers. You don’t need Floyd and he’s not that great overall.

I started out with cobb, thomas, wilson, ivory, shorts as my keepers. Didn’t mention this was a keeper league before as after the year is up we are reformatting and starting fresh. Most of the top 50 players were off the board going in.

Drafted Rodgers, Vjax, Torrey, DMC with my 1st 4 picks. My draft strategy was to take RB, QB, WR as needs in that order. The RB’s I targeted were McCoy, Forte, MJD. Since they were taken by my pick (8th) I went to plan B. I knew I needed a RB w/ either my 3rd or 4th. Guy took Andre Brown right before my 5th pick which sucked as I was targeting him right there. After that I knew I needed to handcuff DMC and get a quality backup in Tate.

I don’t really believe in DMC also which is why I handcuffed him, but I think he has the upside if he can stay healthy, especially in PPR format. Last year he had 707 yds & 42 receptions in 12 games. If he can start hot, I’m hoping I can sell high.

You’re gonna find yourself thin in at least one position. Make sure it’s not RB. Wait as long as you can on QB/TE, load up on WR/RB early and often. Don’t draft a def or K. Lot of what I say in this post still does apply but if you have to take a QB in the first 4 rounds, I understand; I’d still prefer not to, though.

I’m not so sure about some of your bench RB (Randle/Forsett) and you didn’t need Tamme. I don’t even think he’ll be the starter in Denver. Your starting WR are reasonable as are your RB. Is this a 12 team league? I’m not sure why backup QB would be needed. Probably would’ve been an upside WR for me, same for the Tamme pick. Overall, I’m a bit worried about depth.

After Romo goes, I want upside. I wouldn’t call Eli upside. Vick, Bradford, Tannehill have upside. If it gives me a top end WR/RB setup, it’s worth it to me to wait until those guys but I willingly take major risk at QB

@Aubrey Plaza’s Pillow: i’ll likely go top RB (richardson/charles/morris/peterson/1 of martin or rice, 1 of lynch or foster gone already) and get Cobb (looks like he’s still doing kick returns) in early 2nd, unless he’s gone already, or he could be kept over graham (different owner has both). Actually it might not be bad idea if all of those guys are already gone to just grab Cobb at 10th. Likely top 12 or more RB’s gone by my first pick anyway.

@Nightpandas: Strategy wise, you did a much different auction then I would’ve. It left you really thin on your bench spending over $95 on just two player. Ball might not even be the starter in Denver and I’d be surprised if he were given his pass pro problems. Very worried about your RB depth because of that. That’s why I spend a max $60 on my RB1/2 combined in any given draft. Leaves you room to go after those discounts for flex later. Your team needs Ball to be the starter and for all your RBs to stay healthy. Just worried about struggling out of the gate here.

Keeper league draft I have Foster and TRich with picks 10 and 15 after talking a Cobb/Fitz/AJ/Cruz (7WR kept)would you chance Gronk at 15 or too early and take another top WR? I do have two third rounders but doubting Gronk still there at pick 31. Thoughts much appreciated as always.

@Sky: This is my keeper league. That other trade died on the table.
So yea technically that pick at 15 is the late third/fourth round after keepers(28 guys kept). I can’t decide if I should go big risk/reward or play safe and take another WR.
If your gonna dominate your league than go big no?
Also what you think bout a RCL survivor league? Could be fun.

And if I wait I’m pretty sure he’d be gone but you’re probably right I should see if he comes back
for my next pick at 31. If he gone then I wait for cook or something. He could make such a difference tho.

standard scoring league (except QB’s get 6 for Td throws). No def in this league. 1 qb/2 rb’s/2 wr’s or TE/1 wr/te/rb spot, K. 7 bench. Can play 1,2 or no TE’s, but not 3. 12 team. How does this look. By pick
4. Martin
21. Bryant
28. Newton
45. Matthews
52. Bernard
69. Nicks
76. Hilton
93. V.Brown
100. Hillman (he’s starting now, maybe?)
117. Reece
124. Michael Floyd
141.F.Davis
148. Freeman
165. Brown (K)
this is the kind of league where RB’s go early and there is a lot of WR/TE even extremely late (floyd at 124th). I probably should have grabbed R.Randle to protect my Nicks pick. This was me helping my father’s draft his team. We may have been able to wait and miss Newton while grabbing Stafford (father was worried about Stafford’s injury history).

Being able to start 3 RBs, I probably would not have taken Cam; too many good QBs going later. Doesn’t have to be Stafford. Could’ve been Romo. I’m worried about your RB depth. It was fine taking Dez – great value there – at the turn but I would’ve preferred following him with an RB. I like Gio as a flex play but after that you’re hoping Hillman’s a starter – not something I think is going to happen without it being a timeshare – and then waiting for DMC to get hurt to go with an already fragile RB2 from his history. Overall, not a team I would draft. Here’s to hoping Mathews stays healthy along with Nicks. Just a team that concerns me a bit.

2rb/3wr/rwt flex. I have Charles, Kniles, MJD, DRich, Bernard, JFrank. My WR are Julio, Bowe, Vincnt Brown, Alshon, Wheaton & Toon. I see both Denard Robinson & Daniel Thomas on the WW would yoy drop Toon for one of those? (I could drop Eifert or Franklin or Cutler as well) 12 team league w deep Rosters Keep thinkin I should grab MJDs bavkup before I lose the chance. I do see Toon or Stills as a potential cog in that attack this year. I have Ryan at QB & Cook as starting TE. Your thoughts appreciated Sky. Thx

Nah, not a big fan of either for fantasy purposes this year. Understand your league is deep but it’ll be good to see what you have. Might be able to turn your bench into a trade offer for better. Hold.